Finland has practically ended homelessness
Posted about a month ago by Jack Webb in news

Homelessness is quickly becoming a massive problem in the UK.

Bear in mind how we're in the midst of a cold weather snap and should be lending a hand to those people who are living on the streets in such harsh weather conditions.

There have been many attempts to tackle homelessness in this country, but nothing seems to really solve the problem.

Latest figures claim that the number of people living on the streets in England reached a new record high of 4,751 rough sleepers, which is more than double the number recorded in 2010.

But these figures released by the National Audit Office in January are actually being disputed by some homeless charities. They think the number is much, much higher.

One such charity raising concerns is Crisis, which has cautioned that the actual figure could be a lot closer to 10,000, with a substantial number of people sleeping in cars or even tents.

Clearly something has to be done. But how do we tackle such a widespread and growing problem?

Finland may have the answer to that.

Last year, Finland was the only EU country not currently in the middle of a massive homelessness crisis.

In fact, the EU homelessness organisation FEANTSA, which published the report, found Finland's number of homeless has been decreasing year-on-year.

Finland employed a bold initiative to get people off the streets: it's called Housing First.

These radicals from Finland had the crazy idea that giving people a permanent home gives them... well, gives them a place to live and get off the streets.

It's a far-cry away from some of the tactics that have been deployed in the UK, which has included disturbing anti-homeless architecture like metal spikes.

Finland even goes as far as assigning individual support to sort out the issues that have led to the person becoming homeless.

This is a complete reversal of what other countries do and although it might sound simple, it's also incredibly effective. When someone has a literal place to call home, it makes it a whole lot easier to solve any potential problems which lead to an individual becoming homeless in the first place.

The people pay rent and are given housing benefits. And while a lot is paid for by the local government, if they earn enough the people given shelter will eventually pay for the help they receive.

Clearly it's by no means a cheap option – the amount of new housing built and work done on other buildings is substantial. But in the end, it's absolutely a worthy price to pay.

The Y-Foundation is an organisation providing flats for Finland's Housing First and their CEO Juha Kaakinen said:

All this costs money, but there is ample evidence from many countries that shows it is always more cost-effective to aim to end homelessness instead of simply trying to manage it.

Investment in ending homelessness always pays back, to say nothing of the human and ethical reasons.

Should the UK and other countries follow suit with Finland's fantastic approach? Let us know in the comments below.

H/T: LadBible


https://www.indy100.com/article/finland-...aakinen-8235086

Quasi Fake News because it ignores the following. It seems Finland is a little behind the rest of Europe in enjoying the delights of multi-culturalism

Finland's Immigration Crisis
by Dawid Bunikowski
March 6, 2016 at 4:00 am

Translations of this item:

Danish

Zitat

---

"The Strategy views migration as an opportunity: mobility creates international networks and brings with it new ways of doing things. Migration will help to answer Finland's dependency ratio problem, but at the same time, competition for workers between countries will increase. To succeed in this competition, Finland must be able to effectively attract skilled workers who will stay in the country for the longer term. As a responsible member of the international community, Finland is committed to providing international protection to those who need it."

---

The ministry also adds that "everyone can find a role to play," and "diversity is part of everyday life."

Government officials have taken this strategy personally. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä attracted the attention of the international media last autumn when he offered his second home in Kempele to refugees. He stressed the values of mercy and compassion in the context of immigration.

While the Finnish government can produce liberal policies calling for more openness towards immigration, real politics eventually come into play. When it came time to vote in Brussels on the EU's quota system for refugees and their relocation in EU countries, Finland abstained.

The ruling center-right political party, the Center Party (Keskusta), is both pragmatic and skeptical towards the European Union. The second most powerful political party, the True Finns (Perussuoamalaiset), is known for its anti-EU, anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric; its leader, Timo Soini, is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The political cooperation between the Center Party and the True Finns exemplifies a powerful point on Finnish democracy: consensus is important.

Prior to last year's election, the True Finns website stated: "Finland is not to make everybody happy in the world. Finland should take care of the Finns first." The slogan explains much about the seemingly contradictory domestic and international immigration policies of the Finnish government.

The people of Finland have also commented on their government's stance on immigration by ousting of former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb in the 2015 election.[2] The President of the Republic, Sauli Väinämö Niinistö, said in February 2016 that international commitments are treated too seriously, and that Finland does not the control migration flows. Niinistö's comments were deemed politically incorrect and censored from public television for two days.

The Rape Problem

With all of Finland's talk of multiculturalism and immigration, new narratives about the corrosive effects of both multiculturalism and the wave of asylum seekers have surfaced in the media, shocking both the government and the public. News stories discuss the increase in unemployment, the mounting cost of social benefits during the decline of welfare state, problems in educating foreigners, and issues of assimilation with the majority culture, which respects Finnish values and a secular, liberal and open society -- all different from traditional Muslim values.

In Finland, more and more cases of Finnish girls and women being raped by asylum seekers are being widely publicized. Much of Finnish society seems shocked, embarrassed and angry because of the increase in rapes perpetrated by asylum seekers. These crimes have provoked many nationalists, and led to the establishment of a paramilitary movement known as the Soldiers of Odin. Members of the movement view themselves as Finnish patriots, roaming the streets of Finland, protecting against Muslim immigrant offenders.

The Soldiers of Odin are accused of being far-right and may de facto be related to previous skinhead movements from the 1990s. Their uniform is all black attire and their symbol makes reference to the ancient Viking god, Odin.

....................................................................

Next for Finland?

Finland is a peaceful society, and many Finns are afraid of the consequences of the latest wave of immigration. However, due to political correctness and their own national character, most Finns abstain from openly expressing their concerns. But now the curtain of silence and political correctness has been fractured.

Finnish culture, law and policy encourage all people to live together despite cultural or ethnic difficulties. However, this can only go so far. Finns are now demanding action. The government must "do something" to show that Finland is still safe and to limit immigration.

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7559/...-migrant-crisis